The Billiken's Bluff

Somehow a natural disaster completely out of the US government’s control has led to a fresh round of criticism of the Bush administration. Last week the global community rolled their collective eyes when Bush announced the US’ $15 million Tsunami relief package subsequently upped to $35 million and then $350 million (Sandra Bullock pledged $1 million and Formula-1 racer Michael Schumacher alone donated $10 million to tsunami relief efforts).

CNN’s Wolf Blitzer just had a segment featuring a Swedish delegate and an American delegate, both of whom are involved in tracking down their nation’s citizen in the Tsunami zone. Sweden has confirmed that 58 of its citizen have died and over 1,000 are still unaccounted for. The US has confirmed 36 Americans have died and that anywhere from 3,500 to 10,000 may still be missing or unaccounted for.

When asked why Thailand is such a popular destination for Swedes, the Swedish delegate said that winter in Sweden is cold so many Swedes book holiday package tours to Thailand. He added that the travel agencies and tour companies have been particularly helpful in providing information so that the government can track down the unaccounted for tourists in Thailand.

Blitzer then asked the American delegate why the US has not been as successful as Sweden in its efforts to locate American citizens traveling in the area. The US delegate said that in Sweden many people travel on group tours for shorter holiday vacations. And that unfortunately many of the US citizens in Southeast Asia are backpacking through the area. This means that often they are on trips of indeterminate length and that they may lose touch with friends and family in the US.